Teresa Fellinger closed her original Moose Jaw location just before pandemic restrictions became the norm, which turned out to be a smart move.
The rent in Scrappin’ with T’s Moose Jaw location was much higher than that of her Dalmeny store and the location couldn’t sustain itself. Combined with what felt like constant city construction, which made it difficult for customers to reach her, she decided she had to close.
Fellinger told MooseJawToday.com that moving into a corner of Mike Thul’s Past Times Antique Style Photography and Gifts Store has been excellent. “We work really well together, and he has a great store that a lot of people are regulars at.”
Fellinger does not doubt that if she’d kept her Moose Jaw location despite the pressure, public health restrictions would have dealt a swift final blow. Now, she hopes that the final days of COVID-19 will see a return to shopping local and in person.
“We can’t compete with Amazon, small businesses everywhere, we just can’t,” Fellinger said.
Enormous companies like Amazon and Walmart operate economies of scale, buying and selling in quantities that allow them to lower the cost of individual items below what a small business can, she continued.They do the same with shipping costs.Two years of COVID have proven a major boost for large online retailers.
Fellinger worries that people are now so used to the convenience of online shopping that many local businesses won’t see their customers return.
Fellinger is counting on people like herself who prefer to see and touch before they buy, and who enjoy chatting with businesses owners who are genuinely passionate about their work.
“This is a hobby business … I love this.” Fellinger told MooseJawToday.com.
She gives Scrappin’ with T as much time as she can, but she has two other full-time jobs as well. “I thought I was opening a business so I could do my hobby 24/7. And I can honestly say in the 11 years I’ve been in business, I’ve done maybe four layouts.”
Fortunately, Fellinger said, she still loves scrapbooking and teaching scrapbooking – she isn’t ready to get out. Most of her business income comes from trade shows and scrapbooking retreats, which are also a lot of fun. Another great enjoyment comes from working with groups of children.
“(Children) are so creative,” Fellinger said, “they just think out of the box and come up with all sorts of unconventional ideas, and I get to help them realize those ideas and find the material they need and show them how to make cards, or decorate pages.”
There is a scrapbooking retreat coming up in March which will be held at Timothy Eaton Gardens. Retreats can last whole weekends. To hear Fellinger tell it, they are the pinnacle of the hobby. “We like to hen-cackle,” she said happily. “We like to have events, we like to have fun. And now it’s like double, people are so antsy to get out and socialize.”
The retreat will see a large hall full of tables filled with some 40 to 50 scrapbookers. It is an opportunity to get input on current projects, see other layouts, be inspired, and talk about the memories that are being transformed into treasured family heirlooms.
“This is an art,” Fellinger said. “What we make with these is something beautiful that will last generations.”
Fellinger is making plans for a self-hosted retreat sometime in April – her first in years. After that, she wants to begin teaching classes again. Stay tuned for news of those events as the dates get closer.
